Great weekend

Tagaytay Travel Blog

ITs been a pretty chilled weekend. Saturday morning popped into a travel agent and she managed to find some flights for me to Palawan...great, thats sorted! Also had a look to see what day excursions they did. All very expensive, especially if its just you. There was a group going on a city and Tagaytay tour on Sunday, but would cost 2800 and I really did not feel like a city tour....I do enough of Manila during the week, so I figured I bet I could do my own excursion for less!

Off to the office to prepare for the expo on Monday. Hopefully we will be able to see lots of jewellery and get a few orders in.

At Peoples Park in the Sky lookout point and picnic spot

I popped over to Janes place to go swimming with her son. The pool is located on the 33rd floor with awesome views of the city. We had fun racing against eachother! Spent a lot of time with jane that afternoon, had a sandwich later and decided to take a pic from the roof top garden. So Josh took me up and wow! Fantastic view of the city in all her lights. Was pretty breathtaking to say the least. Nice fresh air up there too! Always a good thing.

This morning, set off early for my trip to Tagaytay. Grabbed a jeepney(10 peso) and headed for Edsa station because apparently local buses go from there through Tagaytay....they werent sure though. The driver stopped beside a bus(60 peso), yup it was going through tagaytay..whoo hoo. Because it was a locals bus the windows were down and the music pumping.

Taal Lake

..was great. Off to Tagaytay. I jumped off and grabbed a tricycle (80) and asked to go to Peoples park in the Sky...now I should have taken my lonely planet with but didnt...oh well. So over the hill we drove and there it was-Lake Taal - Glorious. The driver wanted 160 peso, I haggled down to 80! Walked up to the top of (15peso)...there was a rundown derilect building, with a spot to picnic. The clouds were coming over so not much of a view on the one side. Back to entrance and managed to hook a ride with a lady I chatted to on the way up. She dropped me off at a road which leads to some boats. I wanted to tricycle ride down but they wanted too much, so i said no I would walk. Started walking, and tried haggling with another tricylce, when a car stopped with a young couple in, so I hooked a ride with them.

One of my boatmen getting us going

They were fun. Gave me a strange fruit like a lychee to eat. At the bottom their car conked out...battery dead, so I walked down with some locals to the boats. They were trying to get me to pay 2500peso for ride to Taal Volcano....no ways was I paying that. But with just me on my own and no tourists or tour groups to be seen I managed to get it down to 1000peso, which isnt that bad for your own private boat. Water quite rough so we got a little soaked...nevermind. At the Volcano island, had to pay 50 peso to rent a raincoat/plastic bag thing...as it started to drizzle. 50 peso to enter the island and decided to take a horse ride up. (750 peso) with guide. My horse was tiny and so skinny, I refused, so they gave me a healthier looking one.

View of active volcano

So on I sat and off me and my guide went. He jumps on the back aswell....cosy. Steep path up to the top. ONce you look over the edge - wow! THe active volcano sits in all its glory. It really was beautiful. Back down again....yikes..in the rain too! Found my two boatsmen and left. Back on the otherside decided on a jeepney as the tricylce people wante to charge 250! Jeepney 30 peso....much more my style. ON route back to the town I chatted to this lovely Filipino, who helped me find a place to eat before going back to manila. Had chinese with great view of Taal Lake. Then walked down the road, jumped into a bus and headed for Manila. Slept most of the way. Jumped off at a rd name that looked familiar so I couls take a stroll on the prominade by the sea. Was very windy though, but managed to find my way home. So in total my trip was cheaper and I did it the real authentic way...not the tourist way!

wow... i just read this and your previous blog entries... i must say, i'm impressed that you're experiencing the real philippines, and not some sugar-coated tourist package. you've seen the ugly side of manila, and also the beauty that lies within. i really hope you get to see more of the prettier sides of the philippines during your stay. it's a mess i like to call home. and i'm coming home next week (finally!) after almost 5 years away! :)